Why is it impossible for the second season of The Last of Us to live up to the first?

I know what you’re thinking after reading the headline: “this guy hasn’t played The Last of Us 2“. But the truth is that I have. I write this as a die-hard fan of the saga… and of the first season of the series. That said, after watching the first two episodes of season 2, I’m going to tell you why I believe that it is impossible for it to be better than the first. And even that it can measure up.

Is the emotional connection with the protagonists being lost?

If you are up to date with the second season of The Last of Us, you are probably already noticing that it starts to feel different. Beyond the zombies and the post-apocalyptic landscapes, there is a feeling that runs through many fans of the series: where is that overwhelming emotion that swept us away in the first season?

It’s a hard feeling to define, but it’s there: a slight emotional distance, a narrative that moves forward steadily but without the devastating urgency that Joel and Ellie’s story had in their initial journey. I’m not talking about a spectacular fall —The Last of Us is still a marvel—, but rather a disconnection that is felt when you immerse yourself in a more complex story with so many different points of view.

All fans of the franchise already know what’s coming. And it is far from being a simple repetition of the formula. The Last of Us Part II, for many, a masterpiece even more ambitious than the first. Technically impeccable, emotionally complex, and with a narrative structure that dares to break conventions. But it is also a deeply polarizing game, and this is due to its way of telling the story.

The first game, and therefore the first season of the series, had a very simple narrative. While the characters were complex, in the end it was the story of a father and a daughter who are forced to go from hate to love purely for survival. And then comes the ending: a heartbreaking chapter that leaves us speechless and makes us wonder what we would have done in their place.

The best thing about The Last of Us is undoubtedly the conversation it generates afterwards. And that’s why the series worked so well. But what about the second season? Well, it aims to answer all the moral questions that arose in the first part.

Too Much Responsibility for Ellie

The second part, both of the game and, apparently, of the series, is more diffuse. More fragmented. More uncomfortable. We no longer just follow Joel and Ellie, but jump between different characters, times, and perspectives. And what works in the video game thanks to the player’s immersion risks losing strength on television.

In a controller, the story is lived. On screen, it is only observed. And the emotional connection with certain characters (especially with Abby) is built, in the video game, through hours of gameplay, decisions, and effort. Translating that empathy to a series is a titanic mission. For now, these first episodes have already lost momentum compared to the previous ones. And it may get worse.

Now, spoiler alert: Joel dies. And not in a heroic way or with a grand dramatic build-up. He dies early. He dies badly. He dies suddenly and brutally, because the game doesn’t want you to idealize anyone. It wants you, precisely, to hate those who kill him… only to then force you to understand them.

But… how can you not idealize Pedro Pascal? In narrative terms, this choice is masterful. It’s very similar to what happened with Sean Bean in Game of Thrones. But, emotionally, it’s a commercial suicide. Because, in the series, Joel is not just the protagonist: he is the soul of the story. And of course, he has the face and voice of Pedro Pascal, one of the most beloved and charismatic figures in Hollywood. We all love him so much both on and off the screen. Killing him off so soon and asking the viewer to emotionally detach from him to empathize with his killer is a gigantic risk. One that the video game could afford, but that television, with its audience dynamics and loyalty, perhaps cannot sustain.

Perhaps that’s why, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have decided to split the second game into more seasons of the series. But it’s not as good an idea as it seems. If they save it for the end of the season, many will jump ship. And if they place it in the middle, it will be a similar letdown to that of season 4 of Succession.

Everything is a matter of distance. While in the video game you played as Joel and Ellie, in the series you are a spectator. And the pain of losing such a magnetic character is not easily compensated. If anyone can do it, it is undoubtedly the wonderful Ellie played by Bella Ramsey. But wow… if she already had haters, now the few that were left alive are going to come after her. God help her.